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Camala
For canon information, see the Mass Effect Wiki page for Camala. '' A major planet in the Batarian Confederacy, one of its unofficial capitals. Description A small, eezo-rich garden world, Camala was once the wealthiest colony of the Batarian Hegemony. Home to an intensive Reaper harvesting and troop-production operation during the Reaper War, the planet's populations and cities were devastated, its leaders indoctrinated, reducing the colony to a shadow of its former glory. In the wake of the conflict, however, it has recovered and risen to prominence within the Batarian Confederacy, largely thanks to the efforts of the Grusto, a governing body consisting of the heads of Camala's eight most powerful and influential criminal clans and organizations. With their leadership and its plentiful supply of eezo, Camala has become the economic capital of the Batarian Confederation, its population steadily replenishing as thousands of newly-absolved Terminus batarians flock to the Indris System, eager to partake in its prosperity. Most of Camala's population is concentrated in the former capital of Ujon and the current capital of Hatre. Early History In 2027, Grand Executor Alrik Il-Khan of Camala issued a statement condemning the risk to the slaves used as neeru jockies, citing a duty of the higher castes to protect the less powerful. His considerable influence led to the Khar'shan Sporting Commission banning the use of slaves for ''neerumakt, which necessitated the development of remote-controlled synthetic jockies. Post-war Emerging from hiding in the wake of the Reapers' departure, the long-established Grusto crime clans - or what remained of them - moved quickly to establish control over the shattered colony in the power vacuum the invaders had created. Their first steps were to eliminate the remnants of the old government and seize what material assets could be swiftly found and secured on short notice, weapons, eezo, water, and mining equipment taking priority. Then, opening the granaries and food stores for the surviving Camalans, the clans staved off starvation while simultaneously using promises of food and warmth to organize the remaining populace into a functional framework of a society. As the profit-driven nature of their work regularly required the negotiation of the myriad and complex caste and ethnic boundaries and customs, the crimelords proved to be adept leaders, effectively managing nobles, slaves, and casteless alike. It was a testament to their ability that Camala regained its footing faster than most other batarian worlds, its government strong, pragmatic, and stable, if unbound by regulation and rife with corruption. Batarian Confederation Joining the Batarian Confederacy at its outset, Camala was considered effectively neutral next to the opposing Ub'Hesit Batarian Council and Na'Hesit factions. Wealth was the Grusto's focus, and regardless of the various crimelords' individual official stances on slavery, pragmatism trumped ideology in practice, the rigors and limitations of the strict caste system softened or dismissed in favour of efficiency and competence. Thus, the planet no longer possessed a slave economy, arguably making it Ub'Hesit by nature, but Camala's prosperity would indicate that it did not require slave labour to become the wealthiest batarian world in the Kite's Nest. As a result of its self-sufficiency and interest, Camala stood away from the ineffectual and deadlocked assemblies of the Confederation's early days, a position that would only change with the return of Admiral Balak and the batarian fleet soon after. Home to the richest supply of eezo in the Kite's Nest, the military and Grusto were quick to strike up a mutually beneficial understanding, the colony's influence and value only growing as the admiral stabilized and strenghtened the Confederation, thanks in large part to Camalan eezo. Before long, Camala would come to be regarded as one of the capital worlds of the Confederation, specifically for its wealth and economic significance within the new batarian society. Following the fleet's return, Camala proposed that a blanket amnesty for all Terminus batarians should be issued, namely in the interests of repopulation and acquiring outside expertise and skilled labour. Met favourably by virtually every group within the Confederation, despite a number of concerns of stability being raised, the motion was swiftly passed, resulting in a massive influx of refugees from the Terminus Systems. While the wave of immigration saw the fears of disruption validated for many of the more ideological factions, the Grusto and Camala only served to benefit. The crimelords reestablished countless pre-war connections and contacts, greatly expanding their influence on Camala, in the Kite's Nest, and beyond, and strengthened their clans with a host of talented and experienced Terminus criminals and merchants. Camala's population would continue to swell as more and more immigrants flocked to the Indris System, lured by the colony's wealth, neutrality, and lucrative opportunities. Present Though demonstrating admirable cohesion in the wake of the Reaper War and the reconstruction of Camala, the Grusto clans have recently shown signs of reverting to their past status as competing - often warring - criminal organizations. The power struggle has taken on a 'survival of the fittest' dynamic, the strongest and smartest clans rising to prominence, the weak and unwary destroyed and replaced. The four most powerful clans exist in a relatively stable balance of power, violence kept in check by the threat of mutually-assured destruction and the colony's military garrison. While relatively tolerant of the machinations and shadow wars of this 'Upper Grusto,' Camala's economic significance ensures that the fleet will intervene if it believes their actions risk the colony's collapse. Thus, the greater clans tread the line between cooperation for Camala's sake and seeking to undermine and outmanoeuvre one another by more subtle means, diplomacy, blackmail, cyberwarfare, and the occasional assassination among them. The fifth clan in the hierarchy, Forvess, is often referred to as 'the gatekeeper,' as it sits on the threshold of the Upper and Lower divisions, being too weak for the former, but strong enough to set it above the latter. Though it covets the Upper Grusto's influence and power, like them, Forvess understands its role in preserving Camala's prosperity, and thus demonstrates the expected restraint and subtlety in its activities. Such is not the case within the 'Lower Grusto.' Unlike most of the more prominent clans, these groups were not formed around powerful crime families, having more in common with Terminus criminal organizations. Many smaller clans were decimated by the Reapers during Camala's invasion, and the survivors often banded together in the wake of the conflict for mutual benefit and greater influence, determined not to be left behind by the more intact clans of the Upper Grusto. Indeed, many of the criminals within these factions were recent immigrants from the Terminus prior to the war, trying to break into the colony's criminal underworld when the Reapers arrived. Despite the devastation, the power vacuum left by the invaders provided an opportunity to gain a foothold in Camala's new political order, and claim the influence that would come with it. For some, these efforts paid off, the three most tenacious of the patchwork 'clans' carving places for themselves in the lower echelons of the Grusto through sheer determination and cunning. Mercenary, pragmatic, and ambitious, the Lower factions hunger for the power of the Grusto's more prominent members, and have few qualms about employing violence in pursuit of it. With the greater clans beyond their ability to challenge directly, however, the three groups have turned on one another, seeking to destroy or dominate their peers, claiming their assets to expand their power and influence. Greed has made them audacious, aggressive, and ruthless, daring to openly attack and sabotage rival organizations in Ujon and Hatre, and vying for control over eezo mines and refineries throughout the planet's great desert. However, they remain mindful of not overtly antagonizing the Upper Grusto and military at the risk of reprisal. While Camala's greater powers tolerate the conflicts for the moment, they keep a wary eye on the violent and greedy upstarts, should their ambitions drive them to greater boldness. Geography Regions include Samrakhadia, a distinct subset of continental Unthrad. Two Reaper troop transports and a large Slaughtership were destroyed in the final days of the war right outside Hatre. Inactive debris of Reaper materials and mummified pieces of cannibals can still be found in certain nooks and crannies. Culture Camalan Dialect: * • Isan: Gem * • Ji: A suffix roughly meaning “has hidden value”. * • Un: Stone * • Tay: Red * • Tayisan: A cut ruby * • Tayunji: An uncut ruby Trivia *Camalans are often derisively referred to as 'Scumlords' within the Confederation, a label coined by Na'Hesit batarians. * An urban legend from Camala is shared here. * Camala has strong ties to the Republic of Vies, a manufacturing and trade heavyweight in the Caleston Rift, serving as a middleman between the Confederacy and that side of the Traverse. Natives Ferem Baccath (Born on Khar'Shan, grew up on Camala) Tayunji Ruush'ek (from young childhood, as a slave) Vohkaidin Knox (childhood until age 14, as a slave) Rasokan Ne'Vist (Native, since relocated elsewhere due to work) Threads Neo-Colonial Overlords: The Crimson Suns on Camala. Former Inhabitants: Former natives, batarian and human both, discuss the changes that have occurred on the planet since the war. Category:Locations Category:Citadel Space Category:Batarians Category:Batarian Confederacy